In 2023, there were around 7.21 million families with a male householder and no spouse present in the United States. You can get an overview on the total number of households in the U.S. here.

In 2023, there were about 15.09 million children living with a single mother in the United States, and about 3.05 million children living with a single father. The number of children living with a single mother is down from its peak in 2012, and the number of children living with a single father is down from its peak in 2005.

Marriage and divorce in the United States

Despite popular opinion in the United States that “half of all marriages end in divorce,” the divorce rate in the U.S. has fallen significantly since 1992. The marriage rate, which has also been decreasing since the 1990s, was still higher than the divorce rate in 2021. Half of all marriages may not end in divorce, but it does seem that fewer people are choosing to get married in the first place.

New family structures

In addition to a falling marriage rate, fewer people in the U.S. have children under the age of 18 living in the house in comparison to 1970. Over the past decade, the share of families with children under 18, whether that be married couples or single parents, has stayed mostly steady, although the number of births in the U.S. has also fallen.

In 2023, there were about 1.18 million Black families with a single father living in the United States. This is an increase from 1990, when there were 472,000 Black families with a single father in the U.S.

In 2023, there were about 3.54 million white, non-Hispanic families with a single father living in the United States. This is an increase from 1990, when there were around 1.95 million white families with a single father in the U.S.

Graph and download economic data for Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Hillsborough County, FL (S1101SPHOUSE012057) from 2009 to 2023 about Hillsborough County, FL; single-parent; Tampa; FL; 5-year; households; and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in St. Louis city, MO (S1101SPHOUSE029510) from 2009 to 2023 about St. Louis City, MO; single-parent; St. Louis; MO; 5-year; households; and USA.

In 2021, roughly ****** children living with single fathers who never married were receiving public assistance in the U.S. Comparatively, approximately ************ children living with separated fathers were receiving public assistance.

Graph and download economic data for Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Summit County, OH (S1101SPHOUSE039153) from 2009 to 2023 about Summit County, OH; Akron; single-parent; OH; households; 5-year; and USA.

In 2021, roughly ******* children living with single fathers who never married were receiving food stamps in the U.S. Comparatively, there were ****** children living with single fathers who are widows receiving food stamps.

Graph and download economic data for Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Orange County, FL (S1101SPHOUSE012095) from 2009 to 2023 about Orange County, FL; single-parent; Orlando; FL; 5-year; households; and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Harris County, TX (S1101SPHOUSE048201) from 2009 to 2023 about Harris County, TX; single-parent; Houston; TX; 5-year; households; and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Linn County, IA (S1101SPHOUSE019113) from 2009 to 2023 about Linn County, IA; Cedar Rapids; single-parent; IA; households; 5-year; and USA.

Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Sarpy County, NE was 24.11% in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Sarpy County, NE reached a record high of 25.89 in January of 2016 and a record low of 21.58 in January of 2010. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Sarpy County, NE - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on July of 2025.

Graph and download economic data for Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Cook County, IL (S1101SPHOUSE017031) from 2009 to 2023 about Cook County, IL; single-parent; Chicago; IL; 5-year; households; and USA.

Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Los Angeles County, CA was 32.63% in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Los Angeles County, CA reached a record high of 34.00 in January of 2014 and a record low of 31.77 in January of 2019. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Los Angeles County, CA - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on September of 2025.

This statistic shows the total number of male lone parents (single fathers) in Canada in 2020, distinguished by age group of father. In 2020, about 1,770 male lone parents aged between 0 and 24 years were living in Canada.

Graph and download economic data for Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Greene County, MO (S1101SPHOUSE029077) from 2009 to 2023 about Greene County, MO; Springfield; single-parent; MO; households; 5-year; and USA.

Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Palm Beach County, FL was 33.01% in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Palm Beach County, FL reached a record high of 36.19 in January of 2014 and a record low of 32.60 in January of 2020. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Palm Beach County, FL - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on September of 2025.

Graph and download economic data for Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Austin County, TX (S1101SPHOUSE048015) from 2009 to 2023 about Austin County, TX; single-parent; Houston; TX; 5-year; households; and USA.

Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Park County, WY was 24.24% in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Park County, WY reached a record high of 30.51 in January of 2012 and a record low of 19.76 in January of 2020. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Park County, WY - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on August of 2025.